A
T BULURR BERDNO, in western
Arnhem Land, a crystal clear
creek runs between layered
grey sandstone, and a stubble of green
tussock grass and nectar-laden mela-
leuca fl owers colour the landscape.
Indigenous Australians have visited
this remote wet-season refuge atop the
Arnhem Land plateau, in the North-
ern Territory, for thousands of years.
Evidence of occupation is every-
where: polished sandstone benches
on which families sat and socialised;
charcoal from generations of cooking
fi res; and smooth hollows in the rock
where artists crushed ochre and other
materials for paint and women ground
seeds. Like many areas of remote
western Arnhem Land, the rock art of
Bulurr Berdno dates back more than
30,000 years. Here, small dynamic
fi gures of hunters and animals in fl ight,
and spirit fi gures with dramatic head-
dresses, survive in red outline because
they were drawn in an iron-based
compound that soaked into the rock.
Newer images show extinct
creatures such as the thylacine, while
others trace sweeping changes in
climate and the appearance of new
species, including fi sh, reptiles and
birds. Some of these Aboriginal artists
depicted scenes in great detail and
used vivid colours to explain the nat-
ural and supernatural world they saw
around them. The artworks were also
used to instruct and entertain people
in their family groups as they followed
the seasonal cycles of wild food.
The most recent rock art at Bulurr
Berdno is barely 100 years old and
was painted when indigenous peo-
ple from this area fi rst encountered
Europeans in the mid-19th century.
Covering about 600ha, the site
contains hundreds of rock paintings
that were only recently rediscovered
by Aboriginal rangers carrying out
land management work of burning
and feral-animal control. This ‘con-
tact’ art, which has never been photo-
graphed before, contains indigenous
fi rst impressions of the ghostly white
creatures who wore hats and boots,smoked pipes, often arrived in sailing
ships, rode horses and carried guns.
Many drawings were likely made
by people who travelled to the coast,
observed the newcomers and returned
to the stone country to tell their fam-
ilies of the experience. And so the art
forms a kind of reportage – it can be
likened to a modern-day TV or news-
paper report, but because the original
artist is no longer alive, we can only
speculate on their interpretation of
the images.
Some of these indigenous artists
were challenged in recording aspects
of Western animals and lifestyle. For
example, paintings of horses made
them appear as though they had the
anatomy of a kangaroo, emphasising
a large rump and powerful hind-
quarters, but with narrow bodies andchests. Nevertheless, the horse paint-
ings, and those of other large creatures
such as buff alo, are often life-sized
and spectacular.
The artists were sticklers for detail- their paintings of rifl es, shotguns
and revolvers are often so accurate it
is possible to determine the model
and make of the weapon – quite a feat
considering many artists probably only
observed guns from a distance.
Peter Cooke of Warddeken Land
Management, the organisation
responsible for the Arnhem Land
plateau area, says the artists must have
been greatly impressed by rifl es as a
hunting tool, and that is why they are
recorded hundreds of times in the
rock-art galleries of the stone country.
The artists also showed a sense of
humour. On a relatively exposed
Sailing into history. A craft with a triangular sail
(above) and eight people on board could be a small
vessel launched from a large sailing ship. Explorer
Ludwig Leichhardt (left), who passed through in
1845, is thought to feature in several paintings.34 Australian GeographicN EW DISCOV ERY
The art forms a kind
of reportage – like a
modern-day TV or
newspaper report.
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